Figurative sense and literal sense

When we speak of figurative sense or literal sense , we are referring to a way of interpreting the meaning of words . This meaning can be looking for some hidden meaning ( figurative sense ) or interpreting the meaning of words ( literal sense ). The difference between the two concepts is related to the context in which a word is used and the cultural evaluations that accompany it.

What is the figurative sense?

The figurative sense or also called figurative language is the interpretation of words or phrases through their metaphorical or creative use . It is not interpreted in its literal or explicit sense. This meaning implies being able to find a hidden meaning in the phrase or word, which can be found through the imagination or through the cultural tradition of the language.

This type of language is very common in verbal use and not in poetic or literary work. During everyday speech expressions are used that are intended to be interpreted in a non-literal way, that is, through the metaphorical use of the word of which our interlocutor, in general, is aware since it is common use in the language . Furthermore, in the figurative sense, creativity is allowed, which allows us to formulate our own “codes” with social groups, for example with family or friends.

These figurative uses can respond to different “codes”, such as:

– Common places of the language: These codes generally come from yesteryear and although they have lost their real reference, they continue to exist as a phrase whose meaning is still used. A clear example is: “putting the ox behind the cart” is an expression that is used to say that things are done the other way around.

-Regional dialects of the language : These various depending on the place.

-Sociolects: Here the codes are determined by social classes, urban tribes or social groups that differ from each other by the way they speak.

-Personal uses: Language gives us a certain margin of originality when speaking, where we can create our own senses

This type of sense of language can have different objectives such as hiding the message so that other people do not understand it, or emphasizing what is said or expressing something that we feel in an original way.

Examples of figurative phrases

Here are some examples of sentences with a figurative sense:

– “Jump into the water” this expression in some countries is a way of saying that two people are getting married. For example “Juan and Ana jump into the water”.

– “Fall from the kick” this phrase tells us that someone or something we did not like.

– “Being the father of ice creams”, this is a Venezuelan expression whose figurative meaning implies that someone or something is the best or that it is at the top.

– “To get like a beast” this phrase in some countries is a synonym of saying that we are very angry, with anger, indignation or some emotion of a violent nature. For example “my father was like a beast”.

– “Go behind the ambulance” is a phrase used in the Caribbean to say that someone or something is last, performs poorly or is late.

 What is the literal sense?

In linguistics, the literal meaning is the one that a word or an expression has by itself, that is, it conforms to its original meaning. This type of language does not change depending on the context, the intention or the situation, which means that it does not give rise to second interpretations or double meanings. It is the opposite sense to the figurative.

This language is more typical of texts or speeches that aim to communicate ideas, information or messages in a clear, direct and concise manner, as is the case with scientific or computer books or texts.

By using the language in a literal sense we do it with a denotative character , this means that we use the words as a reference to indicate something that means exactly what we mean by the word, without double meanings. It is an explicit and obvious sense, which is also called “dictionary meaning.”

When we say that something is literal, we mean that it corresponds perfectly with the language we are using to describe it, that is, we are not using any figure of speech, nor are we fictionalizing. For example, if we say that such a person “literally died of the cold” we are indicating that dying of the cold here is not a metaphor, but rather that that person actually died from the cold. The word “literally” is used to make it clear to another person that what is said is not a metaphor or has a figurative meaning.

Examples of phrases with literal meaning

Finding examples of literal meaning is very simple, since it is the meaning of the words itself. All we need is not to use any twist or metaphor when we speak.

– “Literally died of hunger” in this sentence we are indicating that really that person died of hunger.

-We cannot indicate that someone is “literally a rat” since those animals are not human beings, so we cannot use the true meaning of the word.

-If we speak in the literal sense that a couple ” literally jumps into the water “ we are indicating that they are together in a pool and not because we want to indicate that they were getting married, as is the figurative use of this expression.

– “The man entered the room and took a seat at a table by the door” phrase in the literal sense used to describe exactly what the man did when entering the room. It does not give rise to double meanings.

Differences between figurative sense and literal sense

As we have seen, both senses contradict each other. The figurative sense does not take words and phrases at face value, that is, in an explicit way. Instead, the literal sense is the original meaning of the words, which the dictionary indicates, without alluding to games, twists or metaphors.

When we say that something happened “literally” we are alerting the interlocutor to the fact that a metaphor or a figurative sense is not being used in the sentence, but that things happened as it is expressed.

As we can see, the literal sense is very common in texts that are informative or scientific. Otherwise, the figurative sense is more typical of literature, poetry or humor, since they are forms of expression that are enriched by ambiguity.